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17:57Annette Belcher-BM

Accident causing slow traffic in Walsall

There is slow traffic and the road is partially blocked due to an accident on the A461 Lichfield Road Southbound near B4154 Pelsall Lane.

There is also congestion on the A461 Walsall Road to Boatman’s Lane.

17:43Annette Belcher-BM

Dogs attack teenage girl

Police are trying to trace the owner of two dogs after a teenage girl was bitten in an unprovoked attack. The 17-year-old was attacked on Monday (March 14) at about 4.50pm, near the traffic lights at the junction of Chester Road North and Birmingham Road.

The dogs involved are believed to be a Staffordshire bull terrier, tan or ginger and the other was a similar breed but larger and white in colour.

West Mercia Police say a number of motorists who were in stationary traffic sounded their horns at the time of the attack and are keen to speak to anyone with information. Call police on 101 if you can help.

17:27Annette Belcher-BM

M42 lanes re-opened

All lanes have been re-opened and the broken down vehicle removed on the M42 Northbound between J5 A41 / A4141 (Solihull / Knowle) and J6 A45 (Birmingham Airport / Coventry).

This is following an earlier lane closure.

17:23Annette Belcher-BM

Video: M6 chaos

Here is some video footage of the chaos caused by the earlier M6 accident, southbound Castle Bromwich.

All lanes have now been re-opened but delays are continuing following the earlier three lane closure.

All lanes re-opened on M6

All lanes have been re-opened on the M6 Southbound, junction 5 Castle Bromwich following an earlier accident.

There is still queuing traffic in the surrounding areas caused by the initial three lane closure, including the Aston Expressway, A5127 Gravelly Hill, A38 Tyburn Road and Slade Road Spaghetti Junction.

The scene on the M6 motorway near Castle Bromwich after 3 lanes were closed.

17:05Annette Belcher-BM

Delays northbound M6

There are now problems northbound of the M6 due to slowing down traffic following the accident on the M6 Southbound (junction 5 Castle Bromwich).

The accident was originally blocking three lanes of the M6 southbound but the aftermath has been moved to one lane.

Delays are continuing.

16:58

Video: Huge jam on the M6 southbound

16:56Annette Belcher-BM

Chaos continues after M6 accident

Tailbacks are continuing to build (pictured) following an accident on the M6, which is still blocking one lane on the M6 Southbound between J5 Castle Bromwich and junction 4 M42.

The vehicles involved have now been moved into lane one but delays are building of up to an hour.

16:44Annette Belcher-BM

M6 accident still blocking one lane

There is still one lane blocked and queuing traffic following the accident on the M6 Southbound between junction 5 Castle Bromwich and junction 4A of the M42.

The scene on the M6 motorway near Castle Bromwich after 3 lanes were closed.

16:21Annette Belcher-BM

Accident on M6

Three lanes are blocked on the M6 southbound between junction 5 of Castle Bromwich and junction 4a of the M42.

This is causing delays from junction 6 Birmingham.

We will keep you updated on this one.

15:57Annette Belcher-BM

Listen: Operator stops mum and sons jumping

A 999 operator stopped a terrified mother and her three sons from jumping from a window to escape a terrifying house fire.

In audio footage from the emergency call, distressed woman can be heard begging for help as black smoke rapidly rises through the house on Clarence Road, in Handsworth , trapping them.

The mum can be heard coughing as smoke fills the first floor bedroom as they desperately try to save themselves.

13:57

Smithfield excitment

An artist's impression showing the Metro running through the proposed Birmingham Smithfield scheme

13:44

Popworld assault

Police have released CCTV images of a woman wanted for questioning after a clubber was attacked in a Broad Street club. The 27-year-old victim, from Kings Norton, was assaulted and pushed to the floor in Pop World at around 1am on February 21.

The injured woman went to the toilets after the attack but was hit again before other club-goers intervened. The victim suffered minor facial injuries but did not need further medical treatment.Read more here.

13:18

Mr Fix-it for speeders jailed

A “Mr Fix-It” who raked in £100,000 by inventing fake drivers to take motorists’ speeding points has been jailed.

Ramesh Jhalli spent his ill-gotten gains on turning his Birmingham home into a luxury pad complete with a new kitchen, double garage extension and a gym.

Speeding fines Mr Fix-It Ramesh Jhalli.

We have a report from our court reporter which you can read by clicking here.

12:44

Nephew admits manslaughter

The nephew of retired deputy headteacher Anne Dunkley has pleaded guilty to her manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Gareth Emery, 25, denied murdering much-loved aunt, 67, at her home in Marston Green last June.

Retired teacher Anne Dunkley

12:36

Primark frenzy

Primark is opening for the very first time at Fort Shopping Park in Erdington.

The 45,000 sq ft opens doors at 10am and huge crowds have gathered outside in anticipation of being the first to enter.

Shoppers were gathered outside as early as 8am.

Shoppers at the opening morning of the new Primark store at the Fort Shopping Centre.

12:24

Schoolboy stabbed

An 11-year-old pupil has been suspended by his Black Country school after a classmate was stabbed in the leg. Police were called in after the youngster was injured by a blade from a pencil sharpener at Moseley Park School in Holland Street, Bilston.

The injured child was taken to hospital with a wound to his leg which was not said to be serious. Click here for more on this.

12:16

Good news for the city centre

As city leaders outlined ambitious plans to transform the Wholesale Markets site into a world-class family zone, we have examined it in more detail.

The 10-year vision sees a new public square, hotels, activity centres, museums and more heading to the city. Click here for more details.

An artist's impression of plans for a residential neighbourhood as part of the Birmingham Smithfield regeneration

12:12

More travel - M42

One lane is closed and there is slow traffic due to debris on the road on the M42 Northbound between J4 (Shirley / Dorridge) and J5 (Solihull).Lane three, of three, is closed while this is being cleared.

12:08

Dangerous M6 Toll driver

A lorry driver has been arrested after he was caught driving the wrong way down the M6 Toll road.

Terrified road users dialled 999 after spotting the articulated vehicle on the motorway.

The HGV was caught during the early hours of Wednesday morning after performing THREE U-turns, including one on the toll road. Read more by clicking here.

Castle Bromwich breakdown

One lane is closed and there is slow traffic due to a broken down vehicle on the M6 Northbound between J4A M42 and J5 A452 (Castle Bromwich).Lane one, out of three, is closed.

11:54

New Brum building in the pipeline

A £200m deal to get a long-awaited Birmingham city centre office block built has been hailed by Chancellor George Osborne as a sign that the Midlands is on the up.

The deal will see the 16-storey Three Snowhill block at St Chad’s Queensway built by 2018 - more than ten years after building work started and stopped on the site.

Developer Ballymore has secured the funding for the largest speculative office block development outside London, from M7G Real Eastate meaning that building work can now get under way. We have more here.

M6 pile-up wrap

Crash in Stirchley

A TEENAGER suffered a head injury after she was involved in an early morning collision with a car.

West Midlands Ambulance Service was called to Pershore Road, Stirchley , shortly after 3.15am today. A spokesman said: “The woman who is in her late teens had a head injury.

“Due to the nature of the injury and how close the incident was to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham , crews decided to immediately alert the hospital and take her straight there.” The busy commuter road was closed for a few hours while police conducted their investigations.

11:02

Pupil stabbed

An 11-year-old pupil has been suspended by his Black Country school after a classmate was stabbed in the leg. Police were called in after the youngster was injured by a blade from a pencil sharpener at Moseley Park School in Holland Street, Bilston.

The injured child was taken to hospital with a wound to his leg which was not said to be serious. The 11-year-old has been temporarily suspended by the school and has also been referred to the Youth Offenders Team at Wolverhampton Police. Read more here.

Moseley Park School

10:40

Cerys Edwards

A post-mortem has revealed tragic Cerys Edwards died as a result of the catastrophic injuries she suffered in a car crash nine years ago. A police file has now been handed to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirming that the nine-year-old died as a result of injuries sustained in 2006.

The results could lead to fresh charges for driver Antonio Boparan, who was convicted of dangerous driving.